I was on there about 2pm ish and theres a guy wandering about the truck park doing a survey (He’s doing a degree of some sort at wrexham) about how many hours and such and the wtd thingy Anyway i was having a little chat with him about this and that and 2 things made me open my eyes
A driver earlier had filled in the questionaire and the question about max hours per week worked was 115 doing italy weekly
the guy knocked on the door of a well known supermarket chains motor and when he went to ask the driver about the questionaire he couldnt speak english But his english interpreter told him that he was polish and had just started for said company along with a few others
i don’t know how to say this. you are a driver if another driver wants to work 115 hours a week why are you so amazed with that? an italy a week is not such a bad week. now your all going to hit me with it is not legal,it is not right etc.
Can some one take the poor lad to see a doctor as he is suffering from
some form of mental strain,as I see it if he works 115hours in a 6 day
week then he has 31hours for rest makes 5hrs 10mins per day for rest,
Now about the driver who was being taught for a supermarkt , good if
he is getting payed the correct wage and if it comes to light that these
drivers are not being payed at the correct remittance then the Goverment
should ensure that this is rectified as other wise our neighbours may
think that certain practises by certain firms are nothing more than a
modern version of slavery. As for the communication problem well if
the employer finds it is not a difficultiy then who am I to complain as
we can take up employment in any of the EU countrys as well .
gavin c:
i don’t know how to say this. you are a driver if another driver wants to work 115 hours a week why are you so amazed with that? an italy a week is not such a bad week. now your all going to hit me with it is not legal,it is not right etc.
Is this the same author in commercial motor who said that W Martin Olivers should have been allowed to continue to trade because they didnt kill anyone or hurt anyones business and VOSA putting 122 drivers out of work was just being heavy handed,
gavin c:
i don’t know how to say this. you are a driver if another driver wants to work 115 hours a week why are you so amazed with that? an italy a week is not such a bad week. now your all going to hit me with it is not legal,it is not right etc.
May not be leagle, may not be right, how would you feel if the driver was over his hours and it was your wife/kids in the car?
Wheelnut it is hard for those persons who are loseing their jobs to see
that what is comeing to pass is a result of many factors and if this firm
had only carried its trade out as per the law and regulations set down
then the firm would still be open for business today and not have 122
drivers looking for work, such is life and yes it is right to close a firm
that has no respect for the law.
Wheel Nut:
Is this the same author in commercial motor who said that W Martin Olivers should have been allowed to continue to trade because they didn’t kill anyone or hurt anyone’s business and VOSA putting 122 drivers out of work was just being heavy handed,
It could well be the same author, because Martin Olivers are still gainfully employing 122 drivers. A mate of mine is one of them and has never done anything he shouldn’t while working for them, or anyone else for that matter.
some of these high profile cases bother me a little bit.
w m oliver, that other company from cheshire with the green trucks and even james irlam.
what bothers me is that all of them have firmly laid the blame at the door of supermarket rdc’s, delays due to industrial action or just running late etc, nowhere to park overnight, drivers that have advised rdc staff about their hours shortfalls but told that if they pull out then they will not get unloaded the next day, drivers that run out of hours whilst on the bay and are told that they must finish off loading and pull off site etc.
now if this is the case (and although it’s some years since i did supermarket work i do believe that it is) then surely as every supermarket rdc has a transport operation with an o licence and a transport manager cpc holder then surely they must also be held accountable for the actions of visiting drivers at their site, surely they have a responsibility under the provisions of their own o licence to provide parking for visiting drivers that may have to break the law should they be forced to leave site and not only that but once the driver has confirmed that they will be out of time by a certain hour then the company should actually report any and all drivers that knowingly break the law by moving their vehicle either on site or off once that time has passed.
so why have none of the supermarkets rdc’s been visited?
why is the traffic commissioner only interested in prosecuting those involved in general haulage?
is it because they are an easy touch or is it because the supermarkets have so much money that they are considered untouchable?
One of the transport bodies that suppose to represent the transport industry at government level is headed by…Lord Sainsbury…say no more…but we all know that their operation and that of other supermarket chains…is so much different to the general haulage sector…
